,  X. . .  M  5 


^^an^     »i^ilr 


lzM5 
5 


53 


The  Perfect  House. 


COMMEMORATIVE 


DISCOURSE. 


THE    PERFECT    HOUSE. 


SERMON, 

PREACHED  UPON  THE  OCCASION  OF  THE 

Opening  of  the  Memorial  Church, 

BALTIMORE,   MD.   . 
^undcu^   (p.  JL.  Jime^  i^tk,  l^hli., 


BY 

NOAH  HUNT  SCHENCK,  A.M 

RECTOR   OF  EMMANUEL  CHURCH, 
BALTO. 


JOHN    D.  TOY,  PRINTER, 
1864. 


CORRESPONDENCE 


Baltimore,  June  13,   1864. 
Ekv.  and  Dear  Sir: 

The  undersigned,  the  members  of  the  A'estry  who  had  the  pleasure  of 
listening  to  your  able  and  appropriate  sermon  at  the  opening  of  the 
Memorial  Church  on  Sunday  last,  anticipating  their  official  action,  desire 
to  express  to  you  their  obligations  for  the  gratification  which  it  aflbrded 
them  and  to  request  that  you  will  enhance  their  pleasure,  and  likewise 
afford  others  the  opportunity  of  participating  therein,  by  furnishing  them 
with  a  copy  for  publication.  If  agreeable  to  you  therefore  we  would  be 
pleased  to  receive  the  manuscript. 

We  are,  &c.  very  respectfully  and  sincerely. 
Your  Friends,  &c. 

CHAS.  WORTHINGTON. 
FRAS.  HART. 

HIRAM   GREENTREE,  M.  D. 
CHAS.  R.  OWINGS. 
Rev.  N.  H.  Schenck, 

Rector  Emmanuel  Church. 


Baltimore,  Mu.  June  14,   1864. 

My  Deab  Friends: 

In  reply  to  your  note  of  the  13th,  I  beg  to  thank  you  for  the  flattering 
terms  in  which  you  request  for  publication  the  manuscript  of  Discourse 
preached  at  the  opening  services  of  the  Memorial  Church, 

I  herewith  place  it  at  your  disposal. 

I  am,  &c.  affectionately  yours, 

In  the  Gospel  of  Christ, 

N.  H.  SCHENCK. 
To 

Mr,  Charles  Worthington. 
Mr.  Francis  Hart. 
HiBAM  Gbeentree,  M.  D. 
Me.  Charles  R.  Owings. 

Vestrymen  of  The  Memorial  Church. 


S  E  R  M  0  N  . 


2  Chronicles  viii.  16.     So  the  hodse  of  the  Lord  was  PEKFECTbMi. 

The  splendid  Temple  which  Solomon  reared  for 
the  worship  of  God  was  now  complete.  By  divine 
command  the  foundation  was  laid,  and  under  divine 
direction  the  building  was  erected.  Materials  had 
been  collected  out  of  all  lands,  and  the  most  cunning 
workmen  had  fashioned  and  fitted  them  together. 
The  pure  gold  of  Parvaim  overlaid  the  fir  and  cedar 
of  Lebanon,  and  the  artisans  of  Huram  had  beautified 
and  enriched  the  structure  with  profuse  and  brilliant 
decorations.  The  ark  with  all  the  holy  vessels  had 
been  brought  up  and  solemnly  deposited  in  their 
appointed  place.  Words  of  blessing  had  gone  forth 
from  Solomon  out  upon  the  people  in  benediction 
and  up  to  God  in  grateful  appeal.  Fire  had  de- 
scended from  Heaven  to  consume  the  sacrifice  in 
token  of  the  divine  favor,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord 
had  filled  the  Temple;  thus  realizing  His  presence, 
and  thus  "inhabiting  the  praises  of  Israel"  while  they 
made  sublime  consecration  of  this  house  to  His  glory 
and  worship.  Then  smoked  the  thousand  holocausts. 
Then   rose  the  fragrant   incense.      Then  spake  the 


Lord  to  Solomon,   accepting  the  dedication  of  the 
Temple;  and  "So  the   house  of  the  Lord  was  per- 
fected."    Not'  perfected  when  the  wealth  of  Jerusa- 
lem and  the  art  of  Tyre  had  lavished  their  treasures 
upon  the  building,  not  perfected  when  its  garniture 
of  precious  metals  and  sparkling  jewels  and  costly 
woods    and    embroidered    hangings  were   complete, 
not  perfected  even  when    the    tabernacle  furniture 
was  brought  into  it  and  the  solemn  dedication  was 
made  to  Him  for  whose  honor  it  was  reared  and 
embellished.      But   it  was  perfected  after  that  the 
prayers  of  the  people  had  gone  up  and  the  favor  of 
God  been   revealed    in  benignant   responses.      For 
this  purpose  was  the  Temple  built,  and  not  until  this 
its  true  spiritual  character  and  office  had  been  de- 
clared, was  "the  house  of  the  Lord  perfected."     He 
who  hath  filled  the  caverns  of  the  earth  with  riches 
and  clothed  the  ground  with  verdure  and   planted 
the   pathless  forests  and  who  is  Lord  of  "the  cattle 
upon  a  thousand  hills,"  hath  little  need  of  glittering 
gold  or  precious  stones  or  bloody  sacrifice  to  enhance 
his  glory.     He  who  dwelleth  in  pavilions  of  light, 
canopied  with  splendors,  adored  in  unceasing  chorus 
by  a  myriad  host,  who  traileth  the   garments  of  his 
glory  along  the  endless  corridors  of  the  skies,  and 
whose  mighty  fiat  creates  or  crushes,  sends  delight  or 
despair  to  the  reaches  of  the  universe, — the  great 
God  of  heaven  and  eternity  hath  little  need  of  earth's 
choicest  materials  or  man's  cunningest  handicraft  to 
shew   forth   his  honor  or  pay  tribute  to  his  dignity. 
But  he  will  get  glory  to  himself  by  the  love  and  ad- 


oration  of  his  intelligent  creatures.  What  has  been 
made  in  his  spiritual  image  he  hath  ordained  should 
render  him  spiritual  homage.  The  shewing  forth  of 
this  devout  allegiance  is  an  augmentation  of  God's 
glory.  Therefore  it  was  that  the  house  of  the  Lord 
was  only  perfected  after  it  was  filled  with  the  breath 
of  prayer  for  incense  and  the  pervading  Shekinah 
for  a  testimony  of  the  Divine  favor  and  blessing. 

Upon  this  idea  of  a  perfect  house  we  are  gathered 
here  to-day  to  declare  and  celebrate  the  perfecting  of 
this  house  of  the  Lord.  It  matters  not  that  a  portion 
of  the  edifice  is  yet  incomplete.  It  matters  not  that 
the  formal  service  of  consecration  is  yet  to  be 
solemnized.  The  doors  are  thrown  widely  open  to 
the  eager  feet  of  worshippers.  The  voice  of  holy 
humble  prayer  has  filled  the  whole  house.  Pure 
worship  has  been  offered  to  him  in  whose  honor 
these  walls  are  erected.  We  have  felt  the  divine 
presence  since  we  have  stood  here  in  divine  audience. 
In  so  far  then  as  regards  the  spiritual  character  and 
office  of  this  place  of  devotion,  "the  house  of  the 
Lord  is  perfected."  It  matters  not  that  this  simple 
structure  compared  with  the  gorgeous  Temple  of 
Solomon  is  but  as  the  cottage  to  the  Capitol.  Both 
the  one  and  the  other  bear  the  marks  of  man's 
imperfection,  in  their  material  construction  as  in 
their  appointed  uses.  If  they  alike  answer  the  ends 
for  which  they  were  designed  in  contributing  to  the 
Creator's  glory  and  the  soul's  welfare,  it  may  be  as 
truly  said  of  this  church  as  of  the  Jewish  Temple, 
"the  house  of  the  Lord  is  perfected."     Widel}^  dif- 


8 

ferent  as  are  dispensations  in  which  they  respectively 
have  place,  strongly  contrasted  as  are  the  localities, 
the  times,  the  worshippers,  still  they  are  for  a  com- 
mon object,  and  open  their  doors  to  men  who  have 
the  same  heritage  of  sin,  the  same  heirship  of  immor- 
tality, the  same  accountability  to  God,  the  same 
duty  of  devotion,  and  the  same  general  obligations 
as  moral  freemen. 

The    completion    of    a   church   is   a   memorable 
event.     It  is  a  fresh  testimony  for  Christ.     It  is  a 
new  arena  for  the  athletes  of  the  truth.     It  is  an 
added  bulwark  to  that  spiritual  temple  against  which 
"the  gates  of  hell"  are  never  to  prevail.     It  is  a  new 
fold  for  the   flock.     It   is  a  new  platform    for  the 
promulgation  of  the  Gospel.     It  is  another  shrine 
for  human  devotion.     It  is  the  unfurling  of  another 
flag  b}^  the  militant  hosts  of  faith.     It  is  an  augmen- 
tation of  spiritual  privilege.     It  is  the  creation  of 
new  opportunities  of  salvation.     It  is  a  token  of  the 
unbroken  perpetuation  of  the  established  means  of 
grace.     It  is  a  further  protest  against  sin  and  against 
error,  while  it  re-affirms  the  allegiance  of  true  men 
to  the  God  of  truth.     This  at  all  times;  but  just  now 
the  perfecting  of  a  new  building  for  the  worship  of 
God  has  a  peculiar  moral  significance.     I  refer  not 
so  much  to  these  dark  days  of  civil  calamity,  when 
the  waters  of  bitterness  are  dashing  up  against  the 
ark  of  God,  and  Christian  men  and  women  are  ready 
with  hot  words  and  hasty  deeds  to  ignore  the  princi- 
ples of  Charity,   when  in  this  vast  theatre  of  war 
there  is  suoh  i^rei^sina;  need  for  the  kindly  and  saving 


9 

offices  of  the  Church  of  God.  But  I  hold  before  me 
that  other  and  still  more  alarming  exigency  which  is 
presented  in  the  bold  and  manifold  onslaught  made 
on  the  very  citadel  of  truth  in  this  eventful  age. 
iSTay,  not  only  assault  from  without  but  treachery 
within.  It  is  true  that  the  pen  of  the  French  Deist 
has  only  presented  a  brilliant  romance  in  his  "Life  of 
Jesus,"  which  unintentionally  proves  the  fact  it  seeks 
to  subvert,  viz:  the  divinity  of  the  Saviour;  and 
which  instead  of  extinguishing  the  marvellous  light 
of  His  life  and  character  has  only  attracted  to  it  a 
more  universal  observation.  It  is  true  that  the 
shameless  apostacy  of  Colenso  beyond  the  shock  it 
gave  to  the  Christian  world,  has  effected  little  except 
a  revived  interest  in  the  text  of  the  Pentateuch,  a 
renewed  consideration  of  the  doctrine  of  plenary  in- 
spiration, and  a  rigorous  enquiry  as  to  the  powers 
of  the  English  Church  to  purge  itself  of  error.  It  is 
true  that  the  Essayists  and  Reviewers  have  mainly 
aroused  defenders  of  the  Faith,  whose  contributions 
to  polemical  literature  have  more  than  counteracted 
their  assaults.  It  is  true  that  the  recent  promotion 
to  the  Deanery  of  Westminster  has  called  forth  a 
noble  protest  against  the  neologists  and  harmonized 
opposing  parties  in  the  defence  of  the  sacred  text. 
It  is  true  that  the  present  movement  in  our  own 
Church  in  this  country,  looking  to  a  fraternization 
with  an  idolatrous  Church  in  another  land — seeking 
a  formal  harmony  with  those  abroad  holding  fatal 
errors,  while  at  home  we  repel  those  identical  with 
us  in  the  essentials  of  salvation,  it  is  true  that  this 
2 


in 

movement  is  rather  arousing  our  own  household  of 
Faith  to  a  more  direct  and  earnest  study  of  those  spi- 
ritual realities  which  alone  constitute  true  Christian 
unity.  It  is  true  that  the  leading  Rectorship  of  our 
largest  Diocese  in  boldly  proposing  for  the  "everlast- 
ing repetition"  of  Creeds  an  influence  superior  to  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  perpetuation  of  the 
truth,  has  done  little  more  than  bolster  the  prejudices 
of  those  who  have  always  regarded  the  Church's  dig- 
nity as  paramount.  It  is  true  that  the  recent  start- 
ling concessions  made  to  free-thinking  by  the  Profes- 
sors in  a  famous  seat  of  Theological  learning  in  a  Sister 
Church,  have  been  chiefly  instrumental  in  stimulat- 
ing to  greater  fidelity  other  teachers  and  guardians 
of  truth  within  that  body.  And  while  generally  the 
political,  moral  and  ecclesiastical  influences  which  in 
these  times  are  arrayed  against  the  Bible-stamped 
and  time-honored  forms  of  orthodoxy  have  not 
availed  to  cripple  the  energies  of  the  Church,  or 
check  the  progress  of  the  Gospel  in  any  great  degree, 
still  it  must  be  confessed  by  all  who  are  not  blind  to 
the  alarming  signs  of  this  convulsive  epoch,  or  deaf 
to  the  strange  voices  that  are  ringing  through  the 
air,  by  all  who  are  keenly  sensitive  for  the  dignity  of 
truth,  that  there  are  many  and  alarminglj^  aggressive 
errors  seeking  to  make  head.  We  hear  it  commonly 
suggested  in  view  of  ajDproaching  dangers  that  ere 
long  there  is  to  be- a  great  battle  fought  upon  the 
broad  ground  of  plenary  inspiration.  My  brethren, 
tlie  day  has  come.  The  enemy  are  upon  us.  The 
cannonade  has  begun.     From  open  plain  and  secret 


li 

ambush,  from  moor  and  mountain,  with  heavy  guns 
and  rattUng  musketry  the  foe  make  deadly  assault. 
The  sun  of  this  battle-day  is  high  in  heaven,  and  yet 
here  we  stand  idle — in   fancied  security  behind  our 
churchly  bulwarks.     Whether  that  sun  shall  be  to 
us  the  sun  of  Austerlitz  or  Waterloo  depends  upon 
the   alacrity  and   ability  with  which  we  accept  the 
wager  of  battle, — depends  more  under  Grod,  upon  our 
valiant  and  victorious  defence  of  that  most  valuable 
of  all  the  bastions  of  truth,  the  plenary  inspiration  of 
Holy  Scripture.     In   fact  we   have  no  safe  fighting 
ground  but  this.     It  must  be  defended  at  all  hazards 
and  held  sacred  as  against  all  comers.     Give  me  the 
Eternal  Word  in  the  completeness  of  its  integrity  and 
I  have  that  weapon  of  God  against  which  no  man  can 
prosper.     It  is   the  sword  of  the  Spirit  which  with 
unblunted  edge  and  untarnished  surface  cuts  its  way 
through  every  obstacle  and  cleaves   down  every  ad- 
versary.     It  is  the   omnipotent  arm  of  truth    and 
right.     Let  us  not  talk  longer  of  that  coming  time 
when  it  shall  be  necessary  for  the  Church  to  marshal 
all  its  forces  upon  the  ramparts  of  plenary  inspiration 
and  there  unsheathe  anew  the  sword  of  the  Spirit.    I 
repeat  it,  the  time  has   already  come.     And  therefore 
it  is  that  we  may   regard   the  erection  of  another 
evangelical  pulpit  as  an  event  of  peculiar  significance 
at  this  crisis.     By  evangelical  I  mean  not  simply  that 
which  is  characteristic  of  the'pure  Gospel  of  Jesus  in 
its  doctrinal  aspects,  but  that  which  presents  the  zeal 
of  Peter  and  the  valor  of  Paul,  the  love  of  John  and 
the  devotion  of  Stephen  in  the  advocacy  and  defence 


12 

of  the  foundation  principles  of  Christianity.  The 
circumstances  of  our  age  recall  us  to  the  primitive 
and  reformatory  ages  of  the  Church.  It  is  the  duty 
of  the  pulpit  at  such  a  crisis  to  preach  Christ  crucified 
in  all  plainness  of  speech,  to  declare  fundamental 
doctrine  stripped  of  all  the  glosses  of  German  mys- 
ticism, Anglican  rationalism,  and  American  scepti- 
cism, to  rebuke  promptly,  boldly  and  persistently 
every  departure  from  doctrinal  purity  and  every 
compromise  of  personal  piety;  yes  and  more  than 
this — to  shame  the  moral  cowardice  of  the  times 
which  under  specious  pretexts  of  civil  and  Christian 
virtue  is  trammeling  the  free  thought  and  shackling 
the  independent  action  of  immortal  and  accountable 
men.  The  age  calls  for  heroes,  if  indeed  there  be 
giants  in  these  days.  They  are  wanted  in  the  field, 
in  the  cabinet,  and  in  the  Church,  Within  these 
walls  is  a  new  arena  for  champions  of  the  truth. 
May  the  blessed  God  arm  and  equip  his  Servant  who 
first  shall  exercise  the  holy  ministry  of  Jesus  here. 
The  thoroughly  furnished  and  discerning  mind,  the 
faithful  and  all-loving  heart,  the  mouth  of  wisdom,  the 
ready  hands,  the  zealous  feet  we  pray  may  all  be  his. 
God  opens  before  him  here  the  Holy  Scriptures  which 
are  "able  to  make  wise  unto  salvation"  and  bids 
him  declare  the  glad  tidings  of  a  Saviour  suffering  to 
free  the  soul.  The  Church  presents  him  her  hallowed 
ritual  as  a  guide  for  the  devotions  of  the  people  and 
enjoins  him  thus  to  tread  the  old  paths  of  prayer  and 
praise.  May  an  unworthy  servant  of  that  God  and 
a  minister  of  that  Church,  be  pardoned  the  seeming 


1  '■> 

presumption  of  placing  by  the  side  of  Bible  and 
Prayer-Book  an  unpretending  volume,  but  one  which 
is  peculiarly  meet  for  the  hour,  and  one  which  must 
ere  long  be  a  horn-book  of  every  defender  of  the  faith, 
a  book  which  rebukes  the  theological  vagaries  and 
rational  infidelities  of  the  age  and  recalls  the  mind  of 
Christendom  to  the  integrity  of  revealed  truth,  the 
manner  of  its  defence  and  the  duty  of  its  guardians. 
I  mean  the  simple  but  masterly  and  exhaustive  trea- 
tise of  William  Lee,  on  "the  Inspiration  of  Holy 
Scripture,  its  nature  and  proof." 

We  have  no  right  this  day  to  the  jubilant  thought 
of  my  text,  unless  the  perfecting  of  this  house  of 
the  Lord  is  in  such  a  sense  as  fills  the  whole  design 
of  its  projection.  Invoking  the  regard  of  the  G-reat 
Head  of  the  Church  not  to  the  material,  but  to  the 
moral  temple  here  erected,  we  would  speak  to  Him 
as  of  old  did  one  of  the  disciples,  "Master,  see  what 
manner  of  stones,  and  what  building  are  here."  If 
we  cannot  present  stones  that  are  "goodly,"  "tried 
and  precious,"  "lively  stones"  and  "fitly  framed  to- 
gether," into  a  "building  truly  of  G-od,"  may  we  not 
expect  of  this  the  same  sure  prophecy  of  destruction 
as  that  which  the  Saviour  spake  of  the  Temple  at 
Jerusalem.  But  the  spirit  of  this  gospel  enterprise 
consummated  in  the  solemn  services  of  this  hour, 
has  held  in  view  a  perfect  house  for  the  people's 
worship  and  the  Lord's  glory.  To  this  end  we  have 
sought, — earnestly,  prayerfully,  humbly  sought  to 
redeem  for  this  church  that  precious  prediction  of 
beauty  and  blessing  vouchsafed  long  ages  ago  as  the 


14 

coming  heritage  of  the  Oliurcli  of  the  Gentiles, 
"Behold  I  will  lay  thy  stones  with  fair  colors,  and 
lay  thy  foundations  with  sapphires.  And  I  will 
make  thy  windows  of  agates,  and  thy  gates  of  car- 
buncles, and  all  thy  borders  of  precious  stones.  And 
all  thy  children  shall  be  taught  of  the  Lord;  and 
great  shall  be  the  peace  of  thy  children.  In  right- 
eousness shalt  thou  be  established ;  thou  shalt  be  far 
from  oppression;  for  thou  shalt  not  fear;  and  from 
terror,  for  it  shall  not  come  near  thee.  No  weapon 
that  is  formed  against  thee  shall  prosper;  and  every 
tongue  that  shall  rise  against  thee  in  judgment  thou 
shalt  condemn.  This  is  the  heritage  of  the  servants 
of  the  Lord,  and  their  righteousness  is  of  me,  saith 
the  Lord."  What  a  picture  is  here  of  the  perfecting 
of  the  House  of  the  Lord !  What  complete  descrip- 
tion of  the  construction  of  the  perfect  house.  We 
can  accept  no  lower  standard  than  is  here  set  forth. 
Nay,  we  must  strain  our  utmost  to  attain  unto  it,  for 
this  is  the  federal  condition  of  its  acquisition.  "See," 
then,  "Master,  what  manner  of  stones  and  what 
building  are  here." 

For  a  perfect  house  of  the  Lord  it  is  not  neces- 
sary that  wealth  be  lavished  or  grace  displayed  in 
producing  artistic  effects.  It  is  not  necessary  that 
the  secular  attractions  of  eloquence  and  music  be 
enlisted  as  elements  of  completeness.  It  is  not  ne- 
cessary that  the  noble,  and  the  rich,  and  the  mighty, 
should  be  congregated.  It  is  not  necessary  that 
frequent  place  be  given  to  imposing  ceremonials  and 
ecclesiastical  pageants.      All   these  and  more   than 


15 

these  may  enter  into  the  composition  of  the  perfect 
house,  and  add  grace  and  solemnity  to  its  arrange- 
ment and  worship.  But  they  are  not  only  not  essen- 
tial, but  alas,  not  infrequently  mar  the  symmetry 
and  deplete  the  vigor  of  that  which  is  essential.  The 
[esthetics  of  church  life  serve  as  a  graceful  appendage 
when  they  decorate  deep  devotion  and  interweave 
with  the  principles  of  lofty  piety.  But  on  the  con- 
trary, how  often  are  they  but  a  temptation  and  a 
snare.  The  perfect  house  has  no  toleration  for  the 
idolatry  of  taste,  no  place  for  the  mere  gewgaws  of 
sentiment.  Its  appointments  are  as  simple  as  its 
office  is  sublime.  The  essentials  of  the  perfect  house 
are  few  but- fixed.  Its  rule  of  faith  and  practice  is 
the  word  of  God,  the  revealed  scriptures  of  salvation 
without  note  or  comment.  No  creed,  no  tradition, 
no  body  of  canons,  no  church  constitution,  enters 
into  its  composition,  except  in  so  far  as  they  are 
plainly  deducible  from  Holy  Writ,  or  "may  be 
proved  thereby."  Its  code  of  doctrine  is  embraced 
in  or  annexed  to  that  "article  of  a  standing  church" 
justification  only  by  faith  in  the  blood  and  righteous- 
ness of  Jesus  Christ.  Its  law  of  life  is  implicit  obe- 
dience to  the  will  of  the  Saviour  and  a  humble  fol- 
lowing of  his  perfect  example.  Its  bounden  duty  is 
the  preaching  of  "the  pure  Word  of  Grod, "—setting 
forth  "the  unsearchable  riches"  of  grace  in  all  spiri- 
tual opulence,  and  duly  administering  the  sacra- 
ments "according  to  Christ's  ordinance."  Its  one 
only  impulse  is  the  Honor  of  the  Master.  Its  per- 
vading spirit  is  Love.     Its  only  illumination  is  the 


16 

light  of  the  Holy  Ghost  shed  abroad  in  the  hearts  of 
the  people.  But  there  are  other  elements  of  the 
composition  of  the  perfect  house,  not  strictly  essen- 
tial, that  is,  "not  essential  to  its  being,  but  to  its 
well  being."  We  here  speak  of  that  "primitive 
order"  which  should  never  be  dissociated  from 
"apostolical  doctrine;"  of  that  "holding  fast  the  form 
of  sound  words  in  the  aggregate  devotions  of  the 
people,  by  which  they  are  guarded  in  the  hour  of 
prayer  from  irreverence  and  strange  doctrine;  of 
that  fidelity  to  the  lambs  of  the  flock,  which  shall 
secure  to  them  "the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the 
Lord,"  and  thus  give  guarantees  of  the  Church's 
future;  of  that  valiant  pastorship  which  boldly  re- 
bukes wickedness  and  condemns  error,  and  which 
promptly  accepts  and  patiently  obeys  the  precept 
that  "it  is  given  unto  us  not  only  to  believe  in  Christ 
but  also  to  suffer  for  him."  The  perfect  house  is 
perfumed  with  love.  Its  air  is  always  charged  with 
the  breathings  of  prayer.  Fidelity  and  fraternity 
are  inscribed  on  all  its  walls.  It  is  vocal  with  the 
godliness  of  the  preached  gospel  and  the  loyal  life. 
These  are  the  agates,  the  carbuncles,  and  the  sap- 
phires, the  fair  and  brilliant  stones  of  the  perfect 
house.  Are  they  to  ornament  this  jolace  of  prayer? 
Deriving  boldness  from  the  inception  and  early  con- 
duct of  this  gospel  enterprise,  its' memorial  and  doc- 
trinal character,  its  present  attitude  and  honest  out- 
look— may  we  not  venture  hopefully  to  the  side  of 
Jesus  with  our  appeal,  "Master,  see  what  manner  of 
stones  and  what   building  are  here."     That  this  ap- 


17 

peal  may  as  confidently  be  taken  in  coming  time  is 
a  responsibility  which  rests  upon  him  who  ministers 
at  this  altar,  and  those  that  bow  before  it.  We 
rejoice  that  "the  house  of  the  Lord  is  perfected,'* 
but  our  joy  is  dashed  with  bi,tterness  just  in  propor- 
tion as  it  falls  below  the  standard  of  the  perfect 
house.  Better  these  stones  had  never  been  quarried 
from  their  beds,  better  these  beams  had  never  been 
hewn  from  their  native  forests,  than  that  they  should 
close  in  and  cover  over  a  shrine  which  abates  a  jot 
from  the  hoiior  due  to  God  or  perverts  a  tittle  of 
that  doctrine  by  which  He  proposes  to  glorify  him- 
self in  the  salvation  of  souls.  But  no,  the  memories 
of  the  past,  the  convictions  of  the  present  joyful  hour 
and  the  bright  auguries  of  the  future  are  garlanded 
around  the  roof  tree  of  this  house  of  God,  are  wreathed 
along  these  walls  and  festooned  beneath  these  arches, 
and  above  this  altar,  in  floral  beauty  and  enduring 
evergreen,  bespeaking  the  purity  of  doctrine  and  the 
firmness  of  principle  which  here  are  solemnly  en- 
shrined. If  we  may  speak  confidently  of  the  char- 
acter and  future  history  of  any  gospel  venture,  it  is 
assuredly  permitted  us  here  and  now,  as  we  recall 
the  circumstances  which  have  prepared  for  this  happy 
occasion.  If  ever  we  may  indulge  the  exuberance 
of  sacred  joy,  it  is  in  a  moment  like  this,  when  a 
project  born  of  the  noblest  impulses  of  our  nature, 
carried  forward  upon  the  sympathies  and  hopes  of  a 
whole  christian  community,  retarded  by  public  ca- 
lamity, and  again,  the  removal  by  death,  of  its  zealous 
leader,  is  at  last  successfully  completed  and  given  up 
3 


18 

to  the  use  and  purpose  for  which  it  was  originally 
designed.  May  we  not  then  be  pardoned  for  giving 
loose  rein  to  our  feelings  of  joyful  thanksgiving, 
"bringing  forth  the  head-stone  with  shoutings,"  and 
"cr3''ing  grace,  grace  unto  it." 

We  are  solemnly  congregated  to-day,  fellow  chris- 
tians of  Baltimore,  to  celebrate  the  opening  services 
of  this  Memorial  Church.  While  it  is  an  occasion  of 
spiritual  joy,  still  are  there  many  emotions  of  sorrow 
which  rise  to  temper  our  sacred  gladness.  The  per- 
fecting of  this  House  of  the  Lord  has  been  antici- 
pated and  longed  for  by  anxious  hearts,  through 
months  and  years  of  weary  waiting.  But  the  hopes 
deferred  are  happily  realized,  and  these  hearts  are 
throbbing  now  with  gratitude  to  God,  that  they  are 
permitted  here  to  pay  their  vows  and  here  record 
afresh  their  consecration  to  Christ.  Not  only  those 
who  are  more  especially  interested,  but  all  lovers  of 
the  Gospel — all  friends  of  the  Church  are  glad  this 
day,  because  another  house  of  the  Lord  is  perfected. 
And  then  how  beautiful  and  chaste,  how  admirably 
adapted  is  the  building.  Pure  in  its  architecture, 
piling  its  gray  stone  in  heavy  wall  and  solid  buttress 
and  graceful  arch,  and  reproducing  a  style  where 
strength  and  elegance  are  beautifully  blended, — 
simple  almost  to  severity  in  the  taste  of  its  interior, 
with  plenty  of  fresh  air  and  plenty  of  the  blessed 
sunshine  of  Heaven,  it  is  one  of  the  few  Gothic 
Churches  I  have  ever  seen  that  has  a  wise  adaptation 
to  the  modes  of  Protestant  worship.  There  are  no 
deeply  drooping  arches  and  grouped  columns  to  cast 


19 

their  sombre  shadows  across  the  face  of  the  worshiper 
and  the  page  of  his  Prayer  Book,  steeping  them  aUke 
"in  a  dim,"  but  drowsy  "rehgious  light,"  no  lofty 
bench  ends  or  angled  recesses  to  cover  the  retreat  of 
the  irreverent  or  apathetic.     Nay,  look  around,  my 
Brethren,  have  we  not  here  a  spiritual  council  cham- 
ber where  earnest,  honest,  healthy  men  and  women 
can  come  together  for  prayer  and  praise  and  preach- 
ing.    I  thank  God  for  this  church,  and  as  He  works 
by  human  agency,  we  should  thank  him  also  for  the 
good  sense  he  has  given  those  who  planned  its  con- 
struction     It  is  a  further  cause  of  gratulation,  that 
the  materials  and  labor  which  have  entered  into  this 
structure  are   paid  for.     It  is  proposed,  that  they, 
who  worship  here  shall  have  an  undisputed  right  to 
their  possession  of  a  place  of  prayer,  "owing  no  man 
anything,  except  to  love  one  another."     We  launch 
this  gospel  ship,  not  freighted  deeply  with  the  burden 
of  debt,  slowly  to  sail  through  heavy  seas,  and  per- 
chance, to  founder  in  some  time  of  storm,  but  giving 
her  only  the  truth  for  freight  and  love   for  ballast, 
and  with  faith  for  her  compass,  we  commit  her  con- 
fidently to  wind  and  wave,  only  invoking  the  breath 
of  the   Spirit   to  swell    the  canvas,   and   cause   the 
prospering  gales  to  waft  her  onward  in  her  course. 
In    things   material,  then,  as  well  as  spiritual,  the 
perfecting  of  this  house  of  the  Lord,  is  a  spring  of 
grateful  joy  to  every  well-wisher  of  the  gospel   of 
Jesus.     But  there  is  a  dark  shadow  flung  across  the 
path  of  these  glad  solemnities.     We  miss  to-day  the 
presence  of  him  whose  heart  conceived,  whose  mind 


20 

matured,  whose  zeal  impelled  and  whose  hand  di- 
rected, under  God,  this  noble  design  of  church  ex- 
tension. How  sadly,  how  keenly  we  miss  him,  those 
best  can  tell,  who  enjoyed  his  ministry  from  the 
beginning  of  this  enterprise,  up  to  the  hour  (for  he 
was  "faithful  unto  death,")  that  he  received  his 
"crown  of  life."  Yes,  "he  is  risen ;  he  is  not  here, 
but  go  your  way, — he  goeth  before  you, — there  shall 
ye  see  him."  Four  years  ago,  the  Rev.  Charles 
Ridgely  Howard  stood  witli  many  of  us  upon  this 
sjDot,  as  we  laid  the  corner  stone  of  the  Memorial 
Church.  How  little  did  any  of  us  imagine  that  for 
the  first  and  last,  and  only  time  he  was  then  to  offer 
prayer  in  the  place  which  he  had  selected  for  his  life 
ministry.  I  remember  well  the  scene.  I  can  yet 
see  that  earnest  pleading  face  turned  upward  and 
gazing  into  the  blue  vault  of  Heaven.  I  saw  the 
light  of  hope  on  that  face.  I  saw  it  furrowed  with 
the  lines  of  faith.  But  the  place  that  knew  it  then, 
is  to  know  it  no  more  forever.  We  are  gathered 
now  on  the  same  spot  to  consummate  what  he  begun. 
0  that  he  could  have  been  here  to-day,  to  behold  the 
ripened  fruit  of  his  holy  toil.  But  he  is  a  witness  to 
this  solemnity,  as  he  looks  down  upon  it  from  the 
balcony  of  Heaven.  Nay,  I  but  speak  as  a  man, 
when  I  mourn  his  absence.  He  is  our  fellow-wor- 
shiper this  day,  enjoying  far  more  richly  than  can 
our  crippled  and  imprisoned  souls,  the  blessed  com- 
munion of  saints  to  which  these  services  admit  us. 
Moreover,  there  is  that  in  the  commemorative  name 
of  this  edifice  which  arouses  tearful  recollections  in 


21 

an  hour  like  the  present.  This  house  is  sacred  to 
the  memory  of  the  Rev.  Henry  Van  Dyke  Johns, 
D.  D.  As  such,  its  opening  exercises  bring  distinctly 
before  us  his  character,  his  ministry,  and  his  univer- 
sally lamented  death.  The  five  years  which  have 
elapsed  since  he  entered  into  his  rest,  have  not  suf- 
ficed to  recover  this  community  from  the  shock  his 
departure  occasioned.  These  services  but  renew  the 
common  grief.  We  almost  forget  the  present  in  the 
thronging  reminiscences  which  come  up  from  the 
past  and  array  themselves  here  as  rightful  partici- 
pants in  the  emotions  of  this  hour.  Thus  I  repeat 
do  mingled  feelings  of  joy  and  sorrow  swell  and 
sway  the  heart  as  we  inaugurate  the  worship  of  God 
in  the  Memorial  Church,  and  declare  "the  house  of 
the  Lord  perfected." 

On  the  30th  of  January,  1855,  four  months  after 
the  opening  of  Emmanuel  Church,  the  ladies  of 
that  congregation  organized  themselves  into  a  Mis- 
sionary Society,  proposing  to  support  a  Colporteur 
and  Bible-Reader,  and  to  establish  and  sustain  a 
Parish  School.  The  following  month  they  secured 
the  services  of  Mr.  Clark,  .a  layman,  and  in  March 
the  work  was  fairly  begun.  Early  in  the  following 
fall.  Rev.  Dr.  Johns  suggested  and  made  arrange- 
ments for  the  erection  of  a  building  for  the  use 
of  the  Mission.  This  was  soon  after  completed 
•  under  the  name  of  Emmanuel  Chapel.  Mr.  Clark 
resigned  in  Nov.  1855,  and  in  December,  the  Rev. 
Charles  R.  Howard  was  elected  Missionary.  He 
discharged  the  duties  until  September,   1856,  when 


22 

the  Rev.  N.  G.  Allen  took  his  place,  and  continued 
as  the  Society's  Missionary  for  nearly  a  year.     Mr. 
Allen's  resignation  took  effect  in  July,  1857,  and  in 
May  of  the  following  year,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Howard 
again  accepted  the  oversight  of  the  Mission.     During 
1858  and  1859,  the  Rev,  John  T.  Hotf  was  associated 
with  Mr.  Howard,  in  the  Chapel  services      After  the 
resignation  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hoff,  and  up  to  the  period 
of  Mr.  Howard's  death,  the  latter  officiated  regularly. 
The  Parish  School,  and  the  religious  services  were 
originally  held  on  Decker  street,  near   Chase,  then 
on  Cathedral  street,  near  the   Bolton   Station,  and 
afterward,  and  permanently  in  the  Chapel,  on  Grundy 
street. 

In  his  efforts  to  sustain  these  Missionary  services, 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Johns  always  regarded  them  as  creating 
the  nucleus  of  a  future  Church  organization.     Several 
months  after  his  death,  =''  this  idea  was  embraced  by 
Mr.  Howard,  who,  for  many  years  had  worked  by  his 
side,  and  who  seemed  peculiarly  appointed  by  circum- 
stances for  the  task  he  now  assumed.     He  proposed 
expanding    the    Missionary   movement    on    Grundy 
street,  into  an  organized  congregation,  and  building 
a    house    of    worship,    to    be    styled    the    Memorial 
Church,  in  pious  commemoration  of  the  virtues  and 
labors  of  the   late   lamented  Rector  of  Emmanuel. 
With  characteristic   energy,  the  Rev.   Mr.   Howard 
entered  upon  the  practical  operation  of  this  project.    , 
The  Church  was  organized,  and  with  a  baptism  of 

*  Rev.  Dr.  Johns  died  ou  Good  Friday,  April  i;2,  1859. 


23 

prayer,  received  its  "Memorial"  name.  In  due  time, 
it  was  received  into  canonical  connection  with  the 
Convention  of  the  Diocese.  Ample  ground  for 
Church,  Chapel  and  Rectory,  was  secured  in  this 
very  eligible  quarter  of  the  City,  and  adjacent  to 
the  original  site  of  the  Mission.  The  corner-stone 
was  laid  on  July  3d,  1860,  and  the  enterprise  rap- 
idly progressed,  carrying  with  it  a  general  and  hegirty 
sympathy.  But  presently  the  clouds  thickened  in 
our  political  sky,  the  storm  burst  in  fury  and  the 
hurricane  of  war  swept  across  the  land.  This  enter- 
prise soon  felt  the  paralysis  which  our  civil  convul- 
sion so  generally  produced.  With  crippled  energies, 
however,  it  still  struggled  bravely  on,  encountering 
and  conquering  many  obstacles,  until  at  last  the 
blight  of  sickness  fell  upon  him  who  stood  at  the 
helm.  0  what  a  trial  of  faith  was  this  to  our  ear- 
nest, active,  hopeful  brother.  But  as  months  wore 
on,  and  brought  with  them  an  increased  feebleness 
of  body,  they  extorted  from  this  humble  and  patient 
man  of  Grod  only  the  expression  of  a  chastened  sor- 
row that  the  "hands  which  laid  the  foundation  of 
this  house,  might  not  also  finish  it;"  and  furthermore 
that  he  might  not  again  be  permitted  to  "preach 
the  blessed  salvation  of  Jesus,  to  perishing  sinners." 
But  you  all  know  of  the  faithful  serenity  in  which 
our  dear  Brother  yielded  the  labor  of  his  ministr}'-, 
and  his  lease  of  mortal  life  in  holy  obedience  to  that 
supreme  will,  which  was  the  law  of  his  labor  and  the 
light  of  his  life.  His  was  a  glorious  sun-setting. 
But  though  beyond  the  horizon  of  earth,  the  reflected 


24 

light  of  that  Christian  character  is  still  hovering 
above  us.  God  grant  that  the  beauty  of  this  twi- 
light may  never  be  withdrawn  from  this  congrega- 
tion, but  that  the  lingering  radiance  of  this  departed 
spirit  may  ever  be  to  them  as  a  "bright  light  in  the 
clouds.'' 

By  the  early  removal  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Howard 
from  the  field  of  his  work,  and  by  reason  of  the 
peculiar  circumstances  of  that  work:  this  church 
seems  providentially  appointed  as  his  monument, 
thus  conferring  upon  it  a  doubly  memorial  character. 
And  how  befitting  it  is,  that  as  he  first  found  peace 
to  his  soul  under  the  pastoral  care  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Johns,  and  under  his  counsel  came  into  the  ministry 
of  Christ,  and  subsequently  labored  by  his  side  and 
continued  in  closest  fellowship  with  him  unto  the 
last;  and  then,  by  consummating  his  plan  of  Church 
extension,  projected  an  enduring  memento  of  his 
ministry  by  the  erection  of  this  edifice,  how  befitting 
is  it  that  these  walls  should  enshrine  the  memory  of 
both  the  one  and  the  other.  Their  souls  are  together 
in  the  realm  of  the  redeemed,  the  Church  triumphant 
in  heaven.  Let  their  saintly  memory  be  here  inter- 
weaved  in  the  same  sweet  accord.  "Lovely  and 
pleasant  were  they  in  their  lives,  and  in  death  they 
are  not  divided."  Yonder  twin-tablet  makes  a  re- 
cord to  which  loving  hearts  give  a  gushing  response, 
and  upon  which  grateful  eyes  will  rest  for  many 
generations.  Let  me  read  the  tribute.  Truth  has 
traced  and  justice  chiselled  each  word  and  sjdlable 
of  that  memorial  stone. 


25 
IN    MEMOKIAM 


TO     THE 

Rev.    CHARLES   RIDGELY   HOWARD, 

THE 

FOUNDER   AND   FIRST   RECTOR 

OF 

THE    MEMORIAL    CHURCH. 

DIED 

MARCH    1  ,    1862. 


HIS 

CLOSE    IMITATION    OF    CHRIST, 

HIS   FIDELITY   AS 

A    PREACHER    OF    RIGHTEOUSNESS 

AND   AS 

A  LOVING  AND  LABORIOUS  PASTOR, 

WILL   ALWAYS 

KEEP   HIS   MEMORY   PRECIOUS 

TO   THIS 

GRATEFUL   CONGREGATION. 


By    IT    HE    BEING   DEAD    YET   SPEAKETH. — HeB.    xi.    4. 


18  0  4, 


After  the  death  of  Mr.  Howard,  and  under  the 
heavy  pressure  which  weighed  upon  the  business 
interests  of  the  city,  the  progress  of  the  church 
building  seemed  wholly  stopped.  Meantime  the  ser- 
vices were  regularly  continued  in  Emmanuel  Chapel, 
under  the  Rectorship  of  the  venerable  John  P.  Baus- 
man.  Upon  his  resignation  in  the  spring  af  1863, 
the  services  were  held  for  several  months  with  a 
good  degree  of  regularity  until  December  of  the 
4 


•26 

«ame  year;  since  then  the  Rev.  Henry  W.  Woods 
has  regularly  conducted  the  worship  at  the  Chapel. 
The  Vestry  and  Congregation  have  with  perfect  una- 
nimity selected  for  their  permanent  Pastor  the  Rev. 
Osborne  Ingle.  He  will,  by  Divine  permission,  enter 
upon  a  ministry  here  for  which  he  seems  peculiarly 
qualified.  You  could  scarcely  have  selected  one  who 
by  the  conditions  of  heart  and  mind,  is  better  pre- 
pared to  receive  the  mantle  worn  by  your  former 
Pastor.  He  will  begin  his  work  with  bright  skies 
above  him  and  warm  hearts  around  him.  I  but  ask 
for  him  now  your  active  co-operation.  He  will  soon 
win  for  himself  that  which  only  worth  begets  and 
fidelity  matures — the  respect,  the  sympathy,  the  love 
of  Christian  souls.  May  the  presence  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  be  given  to  him  in  all  his  labor  in  the  Lord. 
May  the  might  of  Jesus  be  manifested  in  his  minis- 
try. May  many,  very  many  precious  souls,  born  into 
Christ  and  confirmed  in  the  faith  be  ojiven  unto  him 
for  his  hire. 

It  only  remains  that  I  speak  a  word  of  the  com- 
pletion of  the  edifice,  to  bring  the  history  of  this 
enterprise  down  to  the  present  hour  when  we  declare 
the  house  of  the  Lord  perfected.  Early  in  the 
autumn  of  last  year  the  good  providence  of.  God 
signally  indicated  that  the  time  had  come,  and  that 
the  agencies  were  prepared  for  resuming  the  work 
upon  the  Church  building,  and  bringing  it  to  a 
speedy  and  successful  conclusion.  A  noble  contri- 
bution from  a  near  relative  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Howard 
and  the  gift  of  the   Emmanuel  Cliapel   supplied    the 


27 

first  impetus  to  the  effort.  The  large  amount  still 
necessary  for  finishing  the  church  was  promptly  and 
cheerfully  advanced  by  a  few  gentlemen  of  the  Con- 
gregation and  Yestry  of  Emmanuel,  a  member  of  the 
latter  accepting  by  the  authority  of  the  Memorial 
Church  Vestry  the  management  of  all  the  temporal 
interests  involved  in  the  completion  of  the  building. 
This  responsible  and  laborious  office  has  been  exer- 
cised with  such  a  wise  discretion,  that  the  structure 
stands  complete  to-day,  in  so  far  and  in  such  manner 
as  the  original  plan  demanded.  May  the  Lord  richly 
reward  these  noble  Christian  friends,  whose  timely 
and  substantial  aid  has  lifted  and  fitted  in  its  place 
the  "head-stone"  of  the  Memorial  Church. 

The  curious  antiquary  standing  amidst  the  ruins  of 
church  or  castle,  and  pondering  with  inquisitive  eye 
the  crumbling  relics  of  wall  and  window  and  arch, 
sees  around  him  no  vital  link  to  connect  the  living 
present  with  the  dead  past,  save  the  enduring  ivy, — 
whose  life  has  flowed  in  unbroken  current  and  whose 
foliage  waved  in  ceaseless  verdure  as  the  centuries 
have  come  and  gone.  The  modest  shrub  struggling 
at  first  for^a  feeble  existence  in  the  damp  shadows, 
and  clinging  to  the  foundation  stones  of  high-reared 
tower  or  lordly  minster,  mounted  slowly  up  and  gra- 
dually spread  along  the  face  of  the  wall,  beaten 
down  by  the  storms  and  exposed  to  the  retarding 
accidents  of  growth,  still  with  its  web-like  roots 
interlaced  about  every  projection  and  planted  in  every 
crevice,  surely  ascending  and  richly  decorating  the 
massive  masonry  and  sculptured  stone,  until  as  time 
wore  on  and  the  ages  rolled,  it  covered  and  concealed 


28 

the  work  of  decay,  buttressed  the  toppUng  wall, 
bound  together  the  fragments  of  ruin,  beautified 
the  shapeless  heaps  and  rescued  the  mournful  scene 
from  utter  desolation.  It  had  had  no  place  in  the 
architecture  of  the  building;  no  space  was  given  it 
in  the  august  interior.  It  would  have  been  but  an 
intruder  upon 

"The  long-drawn  aisle  and  fretted  vault." 

The  hand  of  sentiment  had  planted  it  in  some  unno- 
ticed angle  and  left  it  there  to  become  a  thing  of 
increasing  beauty  for  the  generations  yet  unborn. 
And  the  time  came  when  the  once  fragile .  plant  was 
the  crowning  beauty  of  the  structure  and  had  its  vic- 
tory over  the  solid  rock,  breathing  out  its  sweet 
lay  of  life  upon  the  waste  and  destruction  around  it. 
Thus  it  is  when  we  associate  the  memory  of  a 
good  man  with  a  house  erected  for  the  worship  of 
God.  He  cannot  share  with  his  Master  in  the  honor 
of  the  temple.  It  is  dedicated  to  the  sole  service 
and  glory  of  the  great  Jehovah.  Man's  virtues  can- 
not be  interweaved  by  grateful  recollection  in  the 
vows  we  pay  and  the  sacrifice  we  offej:,  without 
detracting  from  and  even  destroying  their  value. 
Therefore  it  is,  when  we  would  honor  pious  worth  by 
linking  its  memory  with  the  place  of  prayer  we 
attach  it,  as  we  attach  the  ivy,  to  the  walls  of  the 
building,  that  it  may  deck  them  with  beauty.  In 
view  of  the  paramount  dignity  of  God's  service  and 
the  personal  and  pressing  duties  of  our  own  Church- 
life,  the  memory  of  a  man,  however  revered,  may 
seem  an  inconsiderable  appendage  to  our  temple  of 


29 

devotion.  But  years  roll  away  and  generations  die 
and  principles  change  and  the  days  of  trial  come  and 
desolation  ensues,  then  more  and  more  shall  the 
grace  of  that  blessed  memory  rise  to  view.  Like  the 
ivy  it  will  flourish  with  increasing  vigor  in  the  midst 
of  decay  and  ruin.  Though  men  forget  God,  they 
remember  each  other  and  the  recollection  of  the  just 
will  decorate  the  darkest  hours  of  adversity.  It  is 
not  however  reserved  for  scenes  like  these  to  disclose 
the  moral  beauty  of  a  memorial  name  appended  to  the 
House  of  God.  As  the  leaves  of  the  ivy  which  adorn 
the  outside  walls  are  plucked  at  times  and  twined  in 
garlands  to  beautify  the  interior  of  the  sanctuary,  so 
may  this  memory  in  all  the  continuing  freshness  of 
its  verdure  be  brought  at  times  within  the  house  of 
God  to  excite  the  emulation  of  the  good  or  shew 
forth  the  beauty  and  the  blessedness  of  Christian 
principle.  Through  all  the  fluctuations  of  events, 
through  one  generation  after  another,  the  memory 
remains  like  the  ivy  clinging  to  the  walls  of  the 
Church,  higher,  stronger  and  more  beautiful  as  time 
goes  on, — for  in  time's  flight  as  in  the  ivy's  growth, 
imperfections  are  gradually  hidden  or  forgotten,  until 
by  and  by  they  are  wholly  lost  to  view.  The  memo- 
rial name  outlives  the  material  structure  which  it 
entitles;  and  the  moralist  seated  upon  its  crumbling 
heaps  will  find  nothing  to  grace  the  ruin  but  that 
undying  memory  which  clothes  with  ivy-like  verdure 
the  decaying  fragments  around.  God's  worship  and 
God's  honor,  may  be  there  no  more  enshrined. 
Elsewhere  the  altar  shall  have  been  reconstructed. 
But  the  name  and  the  memory  of  the  holy  man  still 


30 

twine  around  and  caress  the  mouldering  arch  and 
ruined  wall,  breathing  out  on  every  rustling  breeze 
their  sweet  but  saddening  melody. 

As  the  ivy  is  only  planted  after  the  house  of  the 
Lord  is  perfected,  so  have  I  reserved  for  the  conclu- 
sion of  my  discourse  what  mention  is  meet  of  the 
commemorative  character  of  this  house  of  God.  We 
are  worshipping  for  the  first  time,  my  Brethren,  in 
the  "Johns'  Memorial  Church."  I  have  already 
detailed  the  circumstances  of  its  history.  I  have  yet 
to  speak  its  memorial  lessons.  This  tablet  sets  forth 
in  brief  the  moral  facts  of  that  history  and  the  moral 
foundation  on  which  these  lessons  rest.  Let  us  pon- 
der the  inscription.    It  is  a  legend  of  love  and  loyalty. 

IN    MEMORIAM. 


THIS 
HOUSE    OF    PRAYER 

IS    ERECTED    IN 

PIOUS    COMMEMORATION 

OP   THAT   GODLY   MAN, 

The  Rev.  HENRY  Y.  D.  JOHNS,  D.  D. 


AS    TO 

HIS    MISSIONARY    ZEAL 

THIS   GOSPEL   ENTERPRISE    IS 

INDEBTED     FOR    ITS     ORIGIN, 

so   TO   HIS 

DISTINCTIVE    EVANGELICAL     TEACHINGS 

LET    IT    ALWAYS   BE 

'FAITHFUL    AND    TRUE.  "— rev.  xxii.  6. 


Jesus  Christ  and  Him  Crucified. — I  Cok.  ii.  2. 
1864. 


31 

Independent  of  its  formal  appointment  this  church 
is  providentially  commemorative  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Johns.  It  is  the  ripened  fruit  of  a  missionary  germ 
his  own  hand  planted.  Almost  without  exception 
those  who  have  been  embraced  in  its  congregation 
were  previously  the  objects  of  his  pastoral  care.  The 
projector  of  the  enterprise  in  its  present  form  had 
for  five  years  been  associated  with  him  in  the  regular 
duties  of  the  ministry.  Moreover  the  church  stands 
within  an  arrow's  flight  of  the  place  of  his  residence 
and  the  scene  of  his  triumphant  death.  But  it  is 
most  fitting  that  this  city  should  possess  a  monument 
such  as  this,  to  shew  forth  its  appreciation  of  the  man 
and  the  minister.  I  suppose  there  is  no  one  whose 
influence  has  made  a  deeper  mark  upon  this  genera- 
tion of  Christian  people  in  Baltimore  than  Dr.  Johns. 
It  is  not  my  purpose,  as  it  is  not  my  office,  and  cer- 
tainly it  is  quite  beyond  my  ability  to  analyze  the 
character  of  that  eminent  Servant  of  Christ,  or  pro- 
nounce his  eulogy.  It  is  too  late  for  this.  It  always 
was  too  late.  For  his  character  was  so  transparent 
that  it  needed  no  interpretation;  his  eulogy  was 
written  day  by  day  duritig  the  term  of  his  ministry 
upon  the  grateful  hearts  that  were  privileged  to 
enjoy  his  evangelical  labors.  Now  that  he  is  entered 
into  his  rest,  however,  and  you  have  determined  to 
associate  his  name  inseparably  with  your  house  of 
worship,  it  becomes  you  to  make  that  association  a 
substantial  contribution  to  the  moral  beauty  of  this 
edifice,  that  it  may  be  a  perfect  house,  a  worthy  inte- 


32 

ger  of  that  "glorious  Church"  described  as  being 
"without  spot  or  blemish  or  any  such  thing." 

It  is  impossible  that  a  church  be  a  memorial  of 
Dr.  Johns  in  aught  more  than  the  name,  except  it 
perpetuate  in  its  congregation  that  personal  piety  for 
which  he  was  so  distinguished.  He  was  indeed  "a 
Godly  man."  "Faithful  in  his  own  house" — studying 
first  of  all  and  most  of  all  the  honoring  of  Christ  in 
the  inner  sanctuary,  and  giving  not  forth  to  the  people 
the  truth  of  doctrine  or  of  life  until  he  had  obtained 
experimental  knowledge  of  its  value.  0  that  you 
may  never  forget  this  priceless  memorial  lesson. 
The  necessity  of  honoring  Christ  in  the  heart.  The 
lifting  up  of  Jesus  before  the  mirror  of  the  soul. 
The  measuring  as  by  line  and  plummet  the  shape 
and  size  of  every  thought  and  feeling,  that  they  may 
be  adjusted  to  the  pattern  presented  in  the  Gospel. 
The  subjugation  of  self  and  the  "bringing  into  cap- 
tivity unto  the  obedience  of  Christ"  the  passions  and 
the  will.  The  martyr-like  determination  to  honor 
the  Master  in  walk  and  work,  through  good  or  evil 
report,  esteeming  it  meat  and  drink  to  perform  His 
pleasure,  to  spend  and  be  spent  in  His  service  and 
rejoicing  when  accounted  worthy  to  suffer  in  His 
benign  behalf. 

If  this  is  fairly  entitled  as  the  Memorial  Church  of 
Dr.  Johns  it  must  emulate  "his  Missionary  zeal."  He 
well  understood  the  expansive  and  aggressive  charac- 
ter of  true  Christianity.  He  well  knew  that  there 
could  be  no  growth,  no  sustained  health  or  even 
vitality  to  personal  piety  or  to  the  Church  aggregate, 


33 

except  faith  was  continually  developing  in  and 
proved  by  works.  Therefore  it  was  that  his  ministry 
partook  so  largely  of  that  missionary  spirit  whicli 
characterized  the  primitive  type  of  Evangelists. 
Within  the  bounds  of  his  own  congregation,  in  the 
various  modes  of  carrying  the  Gospel  to  the  destitute 
throughout  the  city,  in  catholic  co-operation  with 
his  brethren  of  sister  Churches,  in  efforts  to  supply 
the  means  of  grace  to  the  waste  places  of  our  own 
extended  home-field  and  to  send  it  far  beyond  the 
sea,  "even  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth,"  there  to  give 
light  in  the  midst  of  pagan  darkness, — in  all  enter- 
prises which  proposed  feeding  the  hungry  with  the 
"bread  of  life"  he  was  ever  ready  to  pioneer  the  move- 
ment or  give  it  his  prompt  and  cordial  support.  Graft 
this  spirit  upon  your  every  heart,  ye  men  and  women 
of  the  Memorial  Congregation!  and  let  it  have  a  healthy 
and  sturdy  growth,  for  I  assure  you  that  the  Spirit 
of  Missions  is  the  Genius  of  the  Church,  and  under  God 
the  fountain  of  its  vigor  and  the  spur  of  its  activity. 
But  it  is  especially  incumbent  upon  you  to  prove 
and  make  your  title  good  as  the  Memorial  Church  of 
Dr.  Johns,  by  being  "faithful  and  true"  to  "the  dis- 
tinctive evangelical  teachings"  which  marked  his  min- 
istry from  first  to  last.  His  Churchmanship  was  of 
that  pure  and  simple  stamp  which  practically  displays 
the  consistency  of  primitive  order  with  the  doctrinal 
teachings  of  the  English  Reformers.  Loyal  to  the 
Constitution  and  Canons  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  he  preached  with  a  rare  fidelity  the  doctrines 
of  grace  as  codified  and  illustrated  by  those  sainted 


34 

Martyrs  who  gave  their  lives  as  a  testimony  for  the 
truth  of  the  Gospel.  Nay  more,  with  a  holy  zeal  like 
theirs,  he  sternly  opposed  and  boldly  condemned  the 
many  and  flagrant  departures  which  the  extreme  An- 
glican theology  takes  from  that  Faith  which  was  tried 
in  the  fires.  His  pure  catholicity  led  him  as  it  led  the 
men  of  the  16th  century  into  close  communion  with 
Christians  of  other  Churches  holding  to  the  same 
essential  doctrines  of  salvation.  He  had  no  disposi- 
tion, no  ability,  no  proper  precedent  for  narrowing 
his  spiritual  sympathies  to  the  comparatively  con- 
tracted limit  of  his  own  peculiar  Church.  He  was, 
as  every  true  Christian  and  faithful  Churchman  ought 
to  be,  a  man  of  world-wide  sympathies  with  all  true 
lovers  of  Christ.  In  declaring  the  doctrines  of  free 
grace  he  set  forth  the  spiritnaJ  regeneration  of  the 
soul  by  the  invoked  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  as  the 
initial  idea  of  the  Christian  life.  He  preached  justi- 
fication only  hy  faith  in  the  blood  and  righteousness  of 
Christ.  He  enjoined  the  constant  co-working  of 
man's  spirit  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  thus  through 
sanctification  might  be  attained  that  holiness,  without 
which  no  man  can  see  the  Lord.  He  declared  the 
precious  sacramental  x^rivileges  of  the  Church  and 
urged  in  this  as  in  all  things  implicit  obedience  to 
the  law  of  Christ.  He  jyreached  Jesus  in  the  fullness 
of  His  atonement,  in  the  freeness  of  His  grace,  in  the 
power  of  His  spirit,  in  the  richness  of  His  love,  in  the 
strength  of  His  faith,  in  the  preciousness  of  His  prom- 
ises, in  the  holiness  of  His  life,  in  the  sublimity  of 
His  meekness,  and  in  the  terror  of  His  judgment. 
In  the  negative  aspects  of  his  public  preaching  and 


35 

private  counsels  he  was  equally  true  to  the  honor  of 
the  Grospel.  Though  a  "man  of  meek  and  quiet 
spirit,"'  and  always  "speaking  the  truth  in  love,"  still 
had  he  no  toleration  for  that  cold  and  arrogant  Church- 
manship  which  strives  to  dignify  the  visibiUties  of 
Church-life  to  the  detriment  of  its  higher  and  holier 
functions;  no  toleration  had  he  for  those  glosses  and  de- 
rangements of  doctrine  which  at  once  dishonor  Christ 
and  mislead  the  soul.  His  denunciation  of  error  in  doc- 
trine was  no  less  distinct  and  decided  than  tlie  keen- 
edged  reproofs  he  administered  to  the  other  and  lower 
forms  of  vice.  Nay,  in  every  tone  it  uttered,  his 
trumpet  gave  no  uncertain  sound.  Its  echoes  are  in 
this  Church,  in  the  minds  of  many  now  before  me  who 
were  long  familiarized  to  that  faithful  preaching  of 
Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified,  I  have  adverted  to 
the  peculiar  necessity  of  adhering  at  this  juncture  to 
the  simple  forms  of  Gosp6l  truth.  Be  faithful,  my 
Brethren,  be  unswervingly  true  to  that  doctrinal  dis- 
tinctiveness which  signalized  the  ministry  of  him 
whose  memory  you  have  taken  in  sacred  trust.  If 
thus  faithful  you  are,  your  Church  shall  have  an 
added  title  to  its  memorial  name,  for  then  shall  it  be 
a  living  testimony,  commemorative  of  "truth  as  it  is 
in  Jesus." 

Thus,  Beloved  in  Christ,  do  I  offer  you  the  memorial 
lessons  which  this  hallowed  hour  and  this  sacred  place 
suggest.  Over  that  desk  the  voice  of  Henry  Johns 
first  ascended  in  prayer  when  he  began  his  ministry  in 
Christ  Church,  Baltimore.  By  that  table  he  first  knelt 
in  the  celebration  of  the  Holy  Communion.  From 
this  pulpit  he  first  preached  Christ  to  the  people  of  that 


36 

congregation.  Could  these  marbles  but  find  a  tongue 
they  would  tell  you  better  far  than  I  have  done  the 
story  of  that  loyalty  to  God,  that  devotion  to  truth,  that 
fidelity  to  man,  which  combined  to  make  the  character 
these  walls  commemorate.  Pulpit  and  table  and  desk 
must  ever  be  to  you  as  eloquent  mementos  of  a  virtue 
which  God  has  exalted  to  the  skies,  or  as  silent  but 
stern  witnesses  of  that  moral  treache^-y  which  engages 
to  guard  only  to  betray  its  memory.* 

Let  my  ending  word  be  a  fervent  God-speed  to  this 
Church,  its  Pastor  and  its  Congregation.  The  house 
of  the  Lord  is  perfected,  but  only  that  labor  in  the 
Lord  may  begin.  In  His  name  and  by  His  spirit  let 
it  be  begun  and  continued,  but  never  ended  until  He 
shall  come  again  in  glorious  majesty.  Make  this  a 
perfect  house.  Perfect  it  shall  be  if  Jesus  is  always 
here.  Pray  for  Him.  Preach  of  Him.  Honor  Him 
in  sacred  song  and  solemn  ordinance.  Commune  with 
Him  at  the  holy  table.  Sup  together  with  Him  in  the 
chamber  of  the  soul.  Lift  Him  up  that  you  may  be 
drawn  unto  Him.  Behold  Him  as  the  one  altogether 
lovely.  Make  Him  the  man  of  your  counsel.  Have 
your  life  hid  with  Him  in  God.  Thus  shall  you  light 
up  tliis  sanctuary  with  the  radiance  of  Heaven  and 
deck  your  Zion  in  the  beauty  of  holiness. 

*  The  Marble  Pulpit,  Communion  Table  and  Reading  Desk,  now  erected  in 
tlie  Memorial  Church,  are  those  formerly  used  in  Christ  Church  during  the 
ministry  of  Rev.  Dr.  Johns,  and  his  Brother  who  preceded  him,  the  present 
Bishop  of  Virginia.  It  is  an  interesting  fact  in  this  connection,  and  one 
which  increases  the  memorial  value  of  this  Church  furniture,  that  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Howard  preached  for  the  first  time  after  he  was  admitted  to  Holy  Orders  from 
this  Pulpit. 


PHOTOMOUNT 
PAMPHLET  BINDER 

Manu/aclurtd  by 

©AYLORD  BROS.  Uc 

Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

Slocktoo,  C«ltf. 


BX5920  .B2M5  S3 

The  Perfect  house  :  a  sermon  preached 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


